


I'm In

by orphan_account



Series: Minds Like No Other (We Work Away in the West Wing) [5]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV), The West Wing
Genre: Getting a New One, Josh and Spencer are cousins, Minds Like No Other Verse, losing a job, prompt: I don't care where you go I barely care where I go"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:34:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26397253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Erin Strauss was playing politics. Bureau politics, but politics nonetheless.She didn't count on Spencer having options. She didn't count on ten year old promises.
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner & Spencer Reid, Spencer Reid & Josh Lyman
Series: Minds Like No Other (We Work Away in the West Wing) [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1902880
Kudos: 44





	I'm In

It started when Hotch and her argued. They argued, debated, a lot. He had his law school background, but she had a long background in writing and reading the oldest and greatest of the debates from history. From England, from American history. Once she learned other languages that had extended to the legal histories of Russia, China, France, Egypt, and Israel.

Their debates turned to the personal one night, and after that things had been cold between them.

When Strauss came to her and told her she had suspicions that were enough to have Reid fired, when she tried to give her an ultimatum, Hotch had been outraged. Reid had worked hard at fighting the addiction she got _as a result of BAU work_. Reid was surprised. The concern – borne out of a place wanting to look out for her and prevent a potential depression, a potential relapse, even, brought on by the sudden loss of her job – was touching. But her mind was already turning over the options.

_I found the real deal. I promise – he’s it._

Josh had texted her three days ago, had reached out to reference her college promise _(“If you ever find it, find the real deal, let me know. I’ll come at a call.”)_

Josh had political ambitions. Not for personal gain, but to make a difference.

“Hotch, stop.” She looked at Strauss. She held herself still, a tactic she learned from Josh. She was going to make Strauss uneasy as she started putting her first choice back up plan into action. “You’re trying to pressure me, but you can’t actually fire me. If you had anything, you would have already done it, already had me packed up and out the door.

“But I’ll play your game.” She smirked. Josh had used her as a sounding board. When he learned politics, he taught her and he asked her what she thought worked well for him. He returned the favor, when she started using what he taught. “I’ll resign. Effective immediately. And my research goes with me.”

“Excuse me?”

“My research? Published in several criminology journals? Certainly, the FBI has some proprietary claim on what has already been published, but everything incomplete is still my intellectual property. I worked article to article, book to book. You didn’t think I was foolish enough to just sign over any and everything that I researched for this agency, did you?”

Reid stood up, grabbing her bag. “Have a nice evening.”

The rest of the team was gone, the bullpen was empty. As she strode toward the elevator, waited for it, she heard someone approaching. Too long of strides to be Strauss – had to be Hotch.

She pulled her phone out, dialing her first speed dial.

“Josh?” She turned and nodded to Hotch, who was watching her, unsure. “I’m in.”

*

The Illinois primary was darkened for them both by Noah Lyman’s death. Uncle Noah had been a second father to Spencer, had made sure she had someone she could go to for advice as much as she could go to her aunt.

She was sitting next to Josh in the airport, neither of them talking.

“What are you going to do after the campaign?”

She shook her head at Josh. “I don’t know. I don’t care, really. If I can, I think I’ll stay on with you, wherever you end up.”

Josh nodded. “I’d like that.”

Spencer put a hand on his shoulder. Josh was her only stability through life. Her aunt and uncle were too much like parents – too much about them was in flux. She knew they were there, but she didn’t trust it, she couldn’t make herself trust it.

But finding her crying alone, at night, outside the chemistry building at her university had prompted a promise from Josh.

_I’m always here for you. I don’t care what it is, I don’t care what you or anyone else did. I’m here for you._

Josh looked up before tapping her arm. Governor Bartlet was approaching.

“You two…”

She trusted Josh when he said Governor Bartlet was the real thing. She saw it for herself when he approached them, sitting alone in their grief the night of a major victory.


End file.
